David Prager (October 30, 1918 – June 30, 2002) was a justice of the

Kansas Supreme Court The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as the sta ...

from December 4, 1971, to January 12, 1987, serving as chief justice from January 12, 1987, to September 1, 1988. He was succeeded as Chief Justice by Robert H. Miller when he retired after 17 years of service to the court. The vacated supreme court seat was filled by

Frederick N. Six Frederick N. Six (born April 20, 1929) was a justice of the Kansas Supreme Court from September 1, 1988, to January 13, 2003. He was appointed to the supreme court by Kansas Governor Mike Hayden to replace David Prager who retired. Six, who was ...

. From 1946 till 1959, he practised with law firm Rooney & Dickerson, that later became Rooney, Dickerson, Prager & Crow. He then became a judge for the 3rd judicial district,

Shawnee County, Kansas Shawnee County (county code SN) is located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 178,909, making it the third-most populous county in Kansas. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state ...

from 1959 till 1971 when he was appointed to the supreme court. He also lectured on law part-time at

Washburn University School of Law The Washburn University School of Law is a public law school located on the main campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Washburn Law was founded in 1903. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of ...

from 1948 till 1968. In 1954 he stood as a Democratic candidate for the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

. He was born October 30, 1918, in Fort Scott, and moved in 1946 to

Topeka Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central Un ...

after returning from service as an officer on a destroyer in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He served the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1942 till 1946. He earned his law degree from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

in 1939. He died June 30, 2002, in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

leaving behind his wife Dorothy Schroeter Prager a son David and a daughter Diane.

References

Chief Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court People from Topeka, Kansas University of Kansas alumni 1918 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American judges {{Kansas-state-judge-stub